This is not my first trip to the KBPI Rock N Roll Car Show but it was my best. They never seem to disappoint. Though the gates opened at 7:00, I didn't roll in until about 9:15. Admittedly, I was trying to avoid just a little of the baking heat and get a decent parking spot. I succeeded. My parking spot was not fantastic but it was pretty good. The parking attendant I dealt with wasn't exactly a ball of f***ing sunshine but she was okay and the other parking attendants I spoke with were very nice. I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt that she was having a shit morning and that's not her usual demeanor.
Having scored a $3 off coupon, I spent only $7 to get in. The lines moved quickly at the box office and they gave you an information sheet/map. The bag check went quickly and the staff, as always, was very polite, kind and efficient. I did visit a concession stand to get a water today but didn't indulge in food. I did check pricing as I went around, though, and the prices were not outrageous for some pretty decent eats. They had a pretty wide variety and you could easily stay on a budget and eat there. You can also bring in coolers (no larger than 12x12 I think), as well.
I started on the lower lot which may have been a mistake. With my somewhat early arrival, some of the cars weren't there yet and weren't set up and by the time I got done with the upper lot, I didn't feel like trekking back down to the lower lot to look at a couple of rows that I hadn't seen. That said, it didn't disappoint. There were some gorgeous cars and the owners were like proud papas.
The upper lot was my favorite though. I walked every row from my least favorites (the Subaru's) to some of my favorites including the movie cars, the Corvette Club, and the jeeps because, let's face it, I'm a jeep girl at heart. I explored some, but not all, of the booths and was impressed, as always, at the layout and the efficiency in planning for the show. If you can't find a car you love at that show, you're not looking.
Then there was the grudge races. Oh sweet Lord, the grudge races. I can't see how anyone could NOT want to watch these. The burnout contests, the performances from School of Rock and Lola Black (I missed the last act that closed things out). I mean, if you think that you can find better entertainment for $7, I challenge you to tell me what that is!?!
Once again, I will be giving the Rock N Roll Car Show a HUGE thumbs up and promising that I'll be back next year. Maybe I'll get there sooner and walk it a little different but I'll be back.
**Words to the wise: 1) Hydration, hydration, hydration 2) Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!
Showing posts with label #ThingstoDoinDenver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #ThingstoDoinDenver. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Review of the Dragon Boat Festival at Sloane's Lake
I attended the Dragon Boat Festival for the first time on Saturday. While we were only there for about 2.5 hours, I feel like I can give a relatively complete review on what I saw while I saw there. Here goes.....
Parking: I started with this because, well, it's the first thing you have to do. This was, perhaps, my only complaint. Parking was atrocious. Now I'd like to make a few points about it, though. 1-After we got in, we found out we could have gone to Sports Authority Field and shuttled in. I feel like this could have been better advertised but have a feeling that this would have made the parking situation more doable. 2-It's a festival and parking is expected to be wonky. 3-We went on a Saturday afternoon when, I'm guessing, there was a peak number of people. With that said, I think there should be handicapped options available (or better advertised if they already are). I'm betting if we'd have gotten there first thing in the morning, there would have been more available parking.
Staff: All of the staff that we encountered were great. It was watched over carefully by the police and security. There was a first aid tent that was located in a convenient location. No complaints, for sure.
Food/Drink: I have to say, this was one of the widest varieties I've seen at an event recently. They passed on some of the traditional carnival/fair food to have a more complete array of appetizing food. There were still funnel cakes and berry kabobs but there was also chicken teriyaki and wobbly coconut drinks. The food is still "fair" prices, though, so bring your pocketbook...and bring cash.
Vendors: I was actually pretty impressed with the level of merchandise they had. Instead of it just being tent after tent of Mary Kay, essential oils sold from home, and other work from home businesses, there were many hand made and unique options. There was a massage tent as well as some tents from Denver's Fox channel and Comedy 103.5.
Entertainment: We got to watch only a portion of the entertainment but it was definitely very neat. The martial arts demonstrations were incredible. The dragon "dances" (as I don't know what they're called) were absolutely amazing to watch. It was a tiny step into a beautiful culture.
Favorites.....
Disciples of Funk were one of my favorites. They were energetic and had so much pop in their step. As a dancer, myself, I love to watch performances and their creativity and funk were enough to get everyone's attention. We were able to watch their performance of dances through the 80s and 90s. The neatest part was that they would show the dances (for those that didn't know how) and encouraged people to join in! Here is a link to their facebook page: Disciples of Funk
My other favorite was the AARP lip sync/karaoke tent. We stood outside this tent over and over singing along with "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Shake it Off", "Let it Go" and other memorable tunes. It was a fun and goofy way to entertain a crowd!
Recommendations: Come early for good parking. Bring cash as most of the vendors don't accept credit cards (at least the ones we visited). Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen! (I can't stress this enough with the Denver sun and hot weather) Either bring a parasol/umbrella or find shade regularly and STAY HYDRATED! Have fun!
Parking: I started with this because, well, it's the first thing you have to do. This was, perhaps, my only complaint. Parking was atrocious. Now I'd like to make a few points about it, though. 1-After we got in, we found out we could have gone to Sports Authority Field and shuttled in. I feel like this could have been better advertised but have a feeling that this would have made the parking situation more doable. 2-It's a festival and parking is expected to be wonky. 3-We went on a Saturday afternoon when, I'm guessing, there was a peak number of people. With that said, I think there should be handicapped options available (or better advertised if they already are). I'm betting if we'd have gotten there first thing in the morning, there would have been more available parking.
Staff: All of the staff that we encountered were great. It was watched over carefully by the police and security. There was a first aid tent that was located in a convenient location. No complaints, for sure.
Food/Drink: I have to say, this was one of the widest varieties I've seen at an event recently. They passed on some of the traditional carnival/fair food to have a more complete array of appetizing food. There were still funnel cakes and berry kabobs but there was also chicken teriyaki and wobbly coconut drinks. The food is still "fair" prices, though, so bring your pocketbook...and bring cash.
Vendors: I was actually pretty impressed with the level of merchandise they had. Instead of it just being tent after tent of Mary Kay, essential oils sold from home, and other work from home businesses, there were many hand made and unique options. There was a massage tent as well as some tents from Denver's Fox channel and Comedy 103.5.
Entertainment: We got to watch only a portion of the entertainment but it was definitely very neat. The martial arts demonstrations were incredible. The dragon "dances" (as I don't know what they're called) were absolutely amazing to watch. It was a tiny step into a beautiful culture.
Favorites.....
Disciples of Funk were one of my favorites. They were energetic and had so much pop in their step. As a dancer, myself, I love to watch performances and their creativity and funk were enough to get everyone's attention. We were able to watch their performance of dances through the 80s and 90s. The neatest part was that they would show the dances (for those that didn't know how) and encouraged people to join in! Here is a link to their facebook page: Disciples of Funk
My other favorite was the AARP lip sync/karaoke tent. We stood outside this tent over and over singing along with "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Shake it Off", "Let it Go" and other memorable tunes. It was a fun and goofy way to entertain a crowd!
Recommendations: Come early for good parking. Bring cash as most of the vendors don't accept credit cards (at least the ones we visited). Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen! (I can't stress this enough with the Denver sun and hot weather) Either bring a parasol/umbrella or find shade regularly and STAY HYDRATED! Have fun!
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Review of "Sand in the City" in Arvada, CO
Yesterday, I attended the Arvada "Sand in the City" Festival in Arvada, CO. Overall, it didn't live up to my expectations but I tend to think that it's because I wasn't sure what to expect. It was still a nice little festival. Here are my thoughts.....
*Inexpensive entry: It was $5 for adults (13+) and free for kids 12 and under. A percentage of the proceeds went to the Jeffco School system. This was a MAJOR plus for me on both accounts. Most of the "fun" was included in the $5 which makes it cheap, easy entertainment.....affordable entertainment is very, very nice.
*Vast array of local vendors for food, drinks and craft beer: Again, pretty affordable overall and a great assortment. They had everything from barbecue to spicy sausages to homemade ice cream and everything in between. Very, very impressed.
*Vendor tents: I was very impressed with the vendor tents as well. They were all well-arranged and the folks in them were incredibly friendly. My favorite happened to be the airbrushed tattoos. The gentleman inside was extremely pleasant and the tattoos were very affordable.
*Entertainment: The band playing when we were there were truly great. There was a big open area to spread out and watch them. I recommend making sure to bring a big umbrella, canopy, etc to make sure that you can stay shaded. If your kids are old enough and you feel comfortable with it, you can stretch out and let them just check in after the other fun stuff. What other fun stuff? Bouncehouses, inflatable hamster balls, bouncy slides, and more. Be prepared for LONNNNNNNG lines. Even to get face painting done, there was an incredibly long line which made the airbrushed tattoos all the more worth it.
*Sand sculptures: Okay so this is where my expectations were a bit skewed. I expected there to be sand everywhere...a ton of sculptures. There were nine total. While that was strictly my overly excited expectation, it kind of skews the theme of "Sand in the City" when there are only nine sand sculptures. It could have more easily been called "Beer and Brats in the City" for the sake of accuracy. With that said, the sand sculptures were absolutely incredible. With themes from "animals" to "minions" to "the three little pigs" with some "dragons" in between, it was absolutely amazing. My personal favorite happened to be a dragon on a castle with glittery purple and green scales built in. Hopefully another year there will be more of them.
Overall, I'd say that it's WELL worth the money to go and attend. If you have very young children, my recommendation is to be prepared to prioritize because the lines will be long for entertainment. If you have older children that are able to explore a bit "on their own" within the confines of the fair, bring something to shade yourself and enjoy the entertainment while they go and explore the inflatables and long lines. I will be returning next year with different expectations but no less impressed with the beautiful sculptures!
*Inexpensive entry: It was $5 for adults (13+) and free for kids 12 and under. A percentage of the proceeds went to the Jeffco School system. This was a MAJOR plus for me on both accounts. Most of the "fun" was included in the $5 which makes it cheap, easy entertainment.....affordable entertainment is very, very nice.
*Vast array of local vendors for food, drinks and craft beer: Again, pretty affordable overall and a great assortment. They had everything from barbecue to spicy sausages to homemade ice cream and everything in between. Very, very impressed.
*Vendor tents: I was very impressed with the vendor tents as well. They were all well-arranged and the folks in them were incredibly friendly. My favorite happened to be the airbrushed tattoos. The gentleman inside was extremely pleasant and the tattoos were very affordable.
*Entertainment: The band playing when we were there were truly great. There was a big open area to spread out and watch them. I recommend making sure to bring a big umbrella, canopy, etc to make sure that you can stay shaded. If your kids are old enough and you feel comfortable with it, you can stretch out and let them just check in after the other fun stuff. What other fun stuff? Bouncehouses, inflatable hamster balls, bouncy slides, and more. Be prepared for LONNNNNNNG lines. Even to get face painting done, there was an incredibly long line which made the airbrushed tattoos all the more worth it.
*Sand sculptures: Okay so this is where my expectations were a bit skewed. I expected there to be sand everywhere...a ton of sculptures. There were nine total. While that was strictly my overly excited expectation, it kind of skews the theme of "Sand in the City" when there are only nine sand sculptures. It could have more easily been called "Beer and Brats in the City" for the sake of accuracy. With that said, the sand sculptures were absolutely incredible. With themes from "animals" to "minions" to "the three little pigs" with some "dragons" in between, it was absolutely amazing. My personal favorite happened to be a dragon on a castle with glittery purple and green scales built in. Hopefully another year there will be more of them.
Overall, I'd say that it's WELL worth the money to go and attend. If you have very young children, my recommendation is to be prepared to prioritize because the lines will be long for entertainment. If you have older children that are able to explore a bit "on their own" within the confines of the fair, bring something to shade yourself and enjoy the entertainment while they go and explore the inflatables and long lines. I will be returning next year with different expectations but no less impressed with the beautiful sculptures!
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
I took a little trip to the "Wings Over the Rockies" Museum yesterday just to explore and ended up falling in love with the facility. Here's why....
Facility: It was clean, open and spaced well. There were so many planes to look at and, yet, I didn't feel like I was crowded at any point or that I was unable to fully explore the details of the plane. You may not be allowed to climb in to the cockpit but you are definitely close enough to get a very real understanding of how big and gorgeous these planes are.
Content: I felt like there was an incredible variety of planes to look at. The placards by them gave thorough information and very interesting little tidbits, as well.
Staff: While I didn't have a ton of interaction on my self-guided tour, the interactions I did have were pleasant and very able to give me information, not only about the planes but about other exhibits that might peak my interest.
Bathrooms: The bathrooms were clean and well-stocked.
Favorite exhibit: By far, my favorite was the unexpected but awesome Star Wars X Wing fighter. It was so cool to see in person and life sized!
Negatives? I honestly can't say that there were any. The admission was $12.50 for adults and they offer annual memberships if you want to frequently return.
Will I be returning..... Absolutely. No question!
If you would like to visit, here is the website address to learn about the location, admission prices and more.....
http://wingsmuseum.org/
Facility: It was clean, open and spaced well. There were so many planes to look at and, yet, I didn't feel like I was crowded at any point or that I was unable to fully explore the details of the plane. You may not be allowed to climb in to the cockpit but you are definitely close enough to get a very real understanding of how big and gorgeous these planes are.
Content: I felt like there was an incredible variety of planes to look at. The placards by them gave thorough information and very interesting little tidbits, as well.
Staff: While I didn't have a ton of interaction on my self-guided tour, the interactions I did have were pleasant and very able to give me information, not only about the planes but about other exhibits that might peak my interest.
Bathrooms: The bathrooms were clean and well-stocked.
Favorite exhibit: By far, my favorite was the unexpected but awesome Star Wars X Wing fighter. It was so cool to see in person and life sized!
Negatives? I honestly can't say that there were any. The admission was $12.50 for adults and they offer annual memberships if you want to frequently return.
Will I be returning..... Absolutely. No question!
If you would like to visit, here is the website address to learn about the location, admission prices and more.....
http://wingsmuseum.org/
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Broncos Health and Wellness Expo 2015
Saturday, September 5, we attended the inaugural Broncos (and 9 News) Health Expo and it didn't fail to impress. Though the expo started at 9:00 AM, we arrived around 8:20 and there was already a line formed. The line continued to grow and curve in front of the building with most of its occupants decked out in jerseys or orange and blue gear. The team spirit in our city is incredible! There were plenty of different people pepping up the line to get them excited about the expo. We will definitely be arriving again early next year, as well, and recommend it for anyone who wants to fully enjoy the experience.
The expo had a great selection of booths with a wide variety of products to try out or information to hear about. The businesses (etc) were incredibly friendly and very informative. We tried out everything from different types of pears to mancakes. We learned about the Dumb Friends League, the Alzheimer's Association, and essential oils.
The expo had a great selection of booths with a wide variety of products to try out or information to hear about. The businesses (etc) were incredibly friendly and very informative. We tried out everything from different types of pears to mancakes. We learned about the Dumb Friends League, the Alzheimer's Association, and essential oils.
One of our favorite booths was this one. The kids got to try out making smoothies by peddling a bike to power the blender. I seriously need one of these bikes in my house!
In addition to the informative power of the booths, there were a lot of fun things just for the kids. For smaller kids, there was a Jump Bunch booth with an obstacle course and many fun things to try out. For older ones, there were several booths from Children's Hospital talking about everything from safety to fire prevention and beyond with great, extremely informative displays.
At this booth, the kids were allowed to select where they got their "fake injuries" and they were bandaged up, showing them how to apply pressure to a wound.
If all of this wasn't fun enough, we got to do some great Broncos-themed activities from meeting players to hanging out with Miles.
Seriously, he is the most fun mascot in the NFL, I'm sure of it.
We even got to go on a locker room tour which got us not only on the field where we got to learn about Sports Authority field AND got to meet some of the cheerleaders.....
....but we also got to see the locker room. The kids were seriously amazed!
My personal favorite, though, was meeting the crew of our 9 News team. Everyone from Belen to Danielle to Gary and beyond. They were so sweet and friendly, making time for everyone. They made time to take pictures with everyone, though this one is my favorite....
Review of the Expo: Incredible experience. I will definitely be returning next year. I will try to make more time to make sure we can meet more players (which, obviously, required lines to stand in) but I am extremely pleased with my experience. Go Broncos!
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